Meet Carmen Utley | Owner of Cloak and Draugr

We had the good fortune of connecting with Carmen Utley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Carmen, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My daughter is a tattoo artis and I wanted to get involved in her career and when I found out the owners of Cloak and Draugr didn’t mind selling the business to me, I jumped at the opportunity. Now that I am the owner, I can see my daughter grow in her career.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Most of my career was in the mortgage industry; I spent 28 years as a mortgage processor; I had no experience in the tattoo world but I decided to learn more about it when my daughter became a tattoo artist.
Most of the tattoo studio owners are tattoo artist and I am not but I am learning the process. I think being the owner where my daughter is one of my artists is very unique; my husband, Tim Raduenz supported me all the way.
Being a family business, we thrive in getting the best experience for our clients, we are very relaxed and friendly and I can absolutely tell our clients leave feeling they had a great experience !

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I discover downtown Roswell due to the fact my tattoo shop is very close to it.
They have many restaurants with great atmosphere, and every 3rd Thursday of the month they have music and entertainment. One of my favorite restaurants is Lola’s, the ambiance is great and the food is excellent. Close to downtown there is a river where we can take walks and explore one of many trails of GA.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The manager, Nic Domingo played a big role connecting me with the previous owners of Cloak and Draugr; he put a good word for me and set up our meeting. He is currently my manager and having him at my side was a huge factor deciding to purchase the studio. Without his knowledge, I could not have done it!

Website: https://cloakanddraugrtattoo.com

Instagram: @cloakanddraugr